Waiting for the 2017 MBP (Kaby Lake / Cannonlake / Coffee Lake??)

[maflynn]

What about the upcoming Surface Pro 5?

The SP series of computers uses lower powered processors. They're really not in direct competition to the MacBook Pro, but rather the MacBook Air and the Retina MacBook.

The Surface Book which is rumored to be getting an update this spring is the natural competitor to the MBP

 

[Ries]

If that's a "game changer," how would one describe my upcoming migration from a C2D?

But TBH, most of us rarely max our CPU these days. Storage speed is more important, and Apple'a doing very well there.
I have an SSD (SATA II) in my 2010, but I still expect the PCI-e will make more of a day to day difference than the huge CPU jump.

I would call it: Stepping out of the dark ages.

 

[Branflaakes]

The SP series of computers uses lower powered processors. They're really not in direct competition to the MacBook Pro, but rather the MacBook Air and the Retina MacBook.

The Surface Book which is rumored to be getting an update this spring is the natural competitor to the MBP

However the Surface Book also uses lower powered 15W processors

 

[maflynn]

However the Surface Book also uses lower powered 15W processors

I know, and I'm perfectly fine with that. Like I said, its a great laptop

 

[lewdvig]

I know, and I'm perfectly fine with that. Like I said, its a great laptop

I gave mine back to my employer and bought my own Macbook for work use. The SB hinge makes it wider than it needs to be, a thinner notebook allows me to carry a moleskin in my minimalistic bag - which is still way better for note taking than a surface. Also, the 3.5 lbs adds up when you are schlepping a bag and projector around.

In addition, I bought a 1 lb Del pico projector.

My back is super happy now. My travel weight went from 15 lb to 5 lb.

I'd still like a new MBP, but for home use. Something similar to the XPS 15 (the next update with a GTX 1050) would be great.

 

[Val-kyrie]

I'd still like a new MBP, but for home use. Something similar to the XPS 15 (the next update with a GTX 1050) would be great.

Actually, I would prefer the GTX 1060 as a baseline in a 15" MBP, if Apple were to use NVidia dGPUs.

 

[more fps]

Actually, I would prefer the GTX 1060 as a baseline in a 15" MBP, if Apple were to use NVidia dGPUs.

I would think battery life wouldn't be as great, probably gtx 1050

 

[Val-kyrie]

I would think battery life wouldn't be as great, probably gtx 1050

Perhaps, but doesn't the 1060 have much better performance with similar battery life? I would be willing to trade the little loss in battery life for the performance boost.

 

[Ma2k5]

Perhaps, but doesn't the 1060 have much better performance with similar battery life? I would be willing to trade the little loss in battery life for the performance boost.

it has too much power requirements unfortunately - it is a fantastic card but, a long with battery life, a lot of thinking will need to be made regarding heat dissipation etc. I can say for a fact it won't be used in the Macbook - and I'd be surprised, very surprised, if Dell used it in their XPS 15 line (instead of a 1050, unless they heavily under-clocked the 1060?).

 

[Patrick-Photo]

The GTX1060 uses around 120W max, offcourse they could only use the top rated chips and undervolt/clock those but still those would use more than the thermal envelope of the current design could handle... For either the 15" rMBP or the XPS for that matter. Doing this for a 1050ti would be easier to believe and achieve. This card would use around 75W max as a desktop card, reducing this via clocking and volting would bring it in the playground of the 960m in terms of thermals and wattage.

 

[jjiangweilan]

I am wondering how long this thread(ordeal) can be.

 

[navaira]

I'm ready to move in. Hopefully we don't reach 1000 pages this time.

 

[You are the One]

Greetings, time to join this thread.

 

[argentum47]

We know Kaby Lake CPUs appropriate for 13" rMBPs are scheduled for sale next spring so hopefully not too long.
But if Apple doesn't like the idea of updating their computer in just 6 months, we might see another 18 month wait
Getting a bit concerned that the recent rumors on the next Macs are for the year 2018 not 2017..

 

[EnesM]

We know Kaby Lake CPUs appropriate for 13" rMBPs are scheduled for sale next spring so hopefully not too long.
But if Apple doesn't like the idea of updating their computer in just 6 months, we might see another 18 month wait
Getting a bit concerned that the recent rumors on the next Macs are for the year 2018 not 2017..

They've spec-bumped before, with a press release, so it's possible. I really wanted this generation to have Kaby Lake, but Intel has become so sloppy...I'll wait, I'm used to it

The problem is that Kaby Lake is what Skylake should have been, with 4K HEVC 10-bit decoding

 

[maflynn]

But if Apple doesn't like the idea of updating their computer in just 6 months, we might see another 18 month wait

Apple did this to themselves in that they waited until near the end of life of Skylake to roll out skylake processors.

I think to get back on a decent schedule they probably should roll out a silent update next spring/summer

 

[dumastudetto]

Apple did this to themselves in that they waited until near the end of life of Skylake to roll out skylake processors.

I think to get back on a decent schedule they probably should roll out a silent update next spring/summer

There are no longer big leaps in performance in new generations of Intel processors. There's no real need for them to rush out new products with latest generation processors ever again. And waiting helps them protect their margins from the launch of new updates, as the prices will have come down from Intel by the time Apple starts putting them in products. I think this in turn helps keep the Mac viable in an ever-declining market. As does shrinking and simplifying the product line by eliminating unnecessary options such as Mac Pro and Mac Mini (as is rumored).

 

[maflynn]

I think this in turn helps keep the Mac viable in an ever-declining market.

The problem is, consumers see that Dell, HP, Asus, Lenovo re rolling out computers with the latest chipsets and are marketing doing so. Apple risks losing sales because they choose not to stay current.

The past couple (few?) quarters we saw Apple lose significant marketshare, when others like Asus and Dell, increase sales. Clearly the consumers want value for their money and when you're spending 2,000 for a 15" MBP, you really don't want to buying a Haswell chipset that is several generations old.

I continually here how Apple doesn't need to be on the latest chipset, yet we see in this forum, so much emotion on Apple not upgrading, just look at how large the waiting for skylake thread is. If it didn't matter why are Apple's customers so anxious for it.

I know I'm using MR members as an example and they may not be a clear cut example of a typical consumer, but I do I think it shows that people want the latest chipset.

 

[dumastudetto]

The problem is, consumers see that Dell, HP, Asus, Lenovo re rolling out computers with the latest chipsets and are marketing doing so. Apple risks losing sales because they choose not to stay current.

The past couple (few?) quarters we saw Apple lose significant marketshare, when others like Asus and Dell, increase sales. Clearly the consumers want value for their money and when you're spending 2,000 for a 15" MBP, you really don't want to buying a Haswell chipset that is several generations old.

I continually here how Apple doesn't need to be on the latest chipset, yet we see in this forum, so much emotion on Apple not upgrading, just look at how large the waiting for skylake thread is. If it didn't matter why are Apple's customers so anxious for it.

I know I'm using MR members as an example and they may not be a clear cut example of a typical consumer, but I do I think it shows that people want the latest chipset.

Most Apple customers have no idea if they are buying Haswell or Skylake. All they know is they are choosing between an Intel Core i5 or Core i7 processor, different storage options and how much RAM can they/should they get. They don't know what generation the Intel processor is on the inside, versus the 6th or 7th generation Dell and HP are now selling. Both Dell and HP will happily advertise processor generations, while Apple makes no mention of it in their marketing. So for average customers there is no easy way to compare, unless they are willing to put in the time to do their own research. I think average Apple customers are more likely to walk into an Apple store for advice than hang out on sites like this one, which is unfortunate for obvious reasons.

Of course me saying "most customers" is a bit of a guess on my part. I genuinely don't know how many Mac buyers do spend time informing themselves about purchasing decisions on sites like MacRumors. We do know sales are down, and they are losing ground to competitors. But how much of that can be attributed to lackadaisical updates to Mac hardware is difficult to know. I'm of the view much of it is down to people holding onto older hardware for longer if they still need a Mac, and that more people would much prefer to spend their money on iOS devices than updating their laptop or desktop machine that is still chugging along just fine.

The good news for us all speculating is we will get some idea in the upcoming financial quarters how much pent up demand there was out there for new chipsets and new Mac hardware. Lost sales to the likes of Dell and HP will probably remain lost, but we should get enough of an idea based on how strong the rebound actually is. If the numbers look incredibly good, maybe it will be enough to persuade Apple they need to give a bit more love and attention to the Mac line moving forwards.

 

[killawat]

Both Dell and HP will happily advertise processor generations, while Apple makes no mention of it in their marketing.

Meanwhile,

 

[maflynn]

Most Apple customers have no idea if they are buying Haswell or Skylake.

Perhaps, they don't know the specific name, but I think they may understand that if they buy a Dell, its 2 generations head of a MBP and its less expensive.

 

[EnesM]

Perhaps, they don't know the specific name, but I think they may understand that if they buy a Dell, its 2 generations head of a MBP and its less expensive.

A colleague just got a Skylake Dell...and I'm stuck with the late 2013 Macbook Pro...I can tell you that my 3 year old Macbook is about 5 years ahead, performance wise, fan-noise wise, battery-wise, you name it. Not to mention Dell's trackpad. It's probably the crappiest touchpad I have ever worked on. Some times it double clicks while you are just moving the mouse, other times it doesn't click when you want it to...

 

[ladycsr]

A colleague just got a Skylake Dell...and I'm stuck with the late 2013 Macbook Pro...I can tell you that my 3 year old Macbook is about 5 years ahead, performance wise, fan-noise wise, battery-wise, you name it. Not to mention Dell's trackpad. It's probably the crappiest touchpad I have ever worked on. Some times it double clicks while you are just moving the mouse, other times it doesn't click when you want it to...

If the XPS 15 had a macbook pro touchpad/trackpad it would be the best laptop on the market. I don;t mind windows 10 at all. I bought the xps 13 and returned it the next day due to the touchpad.
I don't know why dell and PC makes completely ignore the touchpad. They don't care about it.

 

[dumastudetto]

Meanwhile,

I guess they pay so little attention to the MacBook Air that they haven't realised they are still highlighting fifth-generation as a headline feature on the product header of the page. If you deep dive into the specs and product comparisons, they make no mention of the Intel CPU generation across models as far as I can tell. It's just - an Intel m5, m7 or i5, or i7. Even the MacBook Air comparisons makes no mention of it.

Also they may well discuss Intel generations in the keynote, I don't really consider that mainstream marketing. Most people aren't watching that. What they advertise on the website is what most people will see, or on TV, and how they advertise and inform about the products in their stores. I bet if you asked most "geniuses" what Intel CPU generation was in different Macs they wouldn't necessarily know.

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Perhaps, they don't know the specific name, but I think they may understand that if they buy a Dell, its 2 generations head of a MBP and its less expensive.

I'm not so sure. I'm reasonably informed, and even i didn't know what generation Intel CPU was in my MacBook Pro until I looked it up. I'm a techie but when I buy Apple gear I don't obsess over the under the hood specs as much as I do when I buy competing products from say a Dell. I think a lot of us put the value elsewhere in terms of the OS, how it seamlessly works with other devices and services, etc.

 

[navaira]

If the XPS 15 had a macbook pro touchpad/trackpad it would be the best laptop on the market. I don;t mind windows 10 at all. I bought the xps 13 and returned it the next day due to the touchpad.
I don't know why dell and PC makes completely ignore the touchpad. They don't care about it.

This is the Apple contradiction. They obsess over the tiniest detail – like the sound the mouse makes when you move it on the mousepad – then make you turn it upside down to charge. Or, in this case, release a beautifully crafted MBP (2015) with an incredible trackpad, beautiful keyboard and very slow graphics. The other manufacturers will do the opposite – create a fantastically specced machine with a bad trackpad, because "every other [wintel] manufacturer has the same trackpad anyway so who cares".